American businessman Zak Brown indirectly targeted the French-British Alpine team, which is reportedly in negotiations with Mercedes F1 for the sale of a quarter of its capital.
In a press meeting at the headquarters of McLaren F1 in southern London, Brown highlighted the financial connections between competing teams that could undermine the integrity of motorsport. Without explicitly naming Alpine, he warned of the risks of compromising the sport’s integrity.
Brown, a 54-year-old multimillionaire and McLaren’s CEO for over a decade, stressed the importance of independence for all F1 teams to maintain fan loyalty.
He also alluded to the fact that a single owner can possess both a large team (“A”) and a smaller one (“B”), like Red Bull and its two teams Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls.
Brown had previously criticized Racing Bulls for benefiting Red Bull Racing at McLaren’s expense.
The ongoing discussions between Mercedes-AMG F1 and Alpine F1, partly owned by Renault and Otro Capital, were not directly mentioned by Brown. Mercedes-AMG not only powers its own F1 team but also McLaren, Williams, and Alpine F1 this season, based in two locations near London.
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